Norfolk Freemason shortlisted for a Telegraph Lockdown Award

Norfolk Freemason Colin Breckons has been shortlisted for a Telegraph Lockdown Award in recognition of his work making face shields for the NHS

Colin, a member of Saint Giles Lodge No. 4569 in Norwich, has been nominated in the DIY category following his work making face shields with his 3D printers and giving them away free to the NHS and other key workers. A monetary donation also came from Freemasons to help produce the visors.

So far Colin and his team of volunteers have produced over 15,500 shields.

Colin told The Telegraph: ‘People were desperate for them, there was a real sense of emergency. The whole house had been taken over; the shed, the garden, the living room, the dining room, were all just full of boxes and plastic and 3D printers. I was getting ambulances turning up at 2am to pick up face shields, neonatals teams at 4am, and police at 6am. It was all day and all night, non-stop.

‘We went from producing 600 face-shields a week to 1,000 per day, over a week everything changed.

‘It's not easy, it's been tiring at times, but not once have I wanted to stop. The amount of energy I've taken from everyone's willingness, I can't describe it, seeing so many people who've wanted to help and get involved, I've never wanted to slow down. It's given me the energy to keep going.’